I can't believe it, but I finally moved to San Diego, CA! The people here are incredibly friendly and laid back. So different from Los Angeles where most people have their guard up (and usually for good reason).

Two months ago, I somehow managed to convince my boss that it would be a great idea for me to work from our San Diego offices, even though no one else from our department currently works there.

I looked at a few houses a few days after I moved to San Diego, put an offer on one, and lo and behold, my offer was accepted. (I've been turned down 4 other times since I started looking in May.)

After negotiating back and forth on the price (there were repairs needed for the house), the seller and I settled on a final sale price.

Now, I'm in escrow and am due to close in 2 weeks.

It's only my third week in San Diego!

My dad wants to renovate the kitchen in my new home. It really needs it.

That's a lot of change for three weeks, isn't it? This is more change than I've experienced in the past few years. It's so odd._________________"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" --- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Wow! Lots of changes and they all sound delightful! San Diego is the one California city I thought I could live in (and no it isn't just because of the naval base!!) My late uncle was an Episcopalian minister down there--I often joke he brought Christianity to Southern Cal.._________________Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

What I especially love about San Diego is the small town feel it has. Most of the major parks have free concerts in the summer (including Balboa Park) where families picnic and congregation during the weekday. There are also a lot of independently run coffee shops, restaurants and businesses you can walk to in most neighborhoods.

And I haven't even made it to the beach yet! I'm hoping that a year of ballet classes will pay off when I try to take surfing classes next year._________________"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" --- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

joyously busy it seems.._________________"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

Escrow is sort of an evil thing. It's on average, a 30 day period to get all things in place to sell a house and transfer ownership. Anything can go wrong and there are usually a lot of loose ends to tie up right down to the deadline date. Escrow closes on my house August 6th. Every day this week, I've been putting out fires that have been getting in the way of my closing escrow on time.

I joked with my coworker that the process of purchasing a home in California has been so painful, the only way I'll move out of this house is if I'm being carried in a body bag._________________"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" --- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

There's more change to come . . . my dad is renovating my kitchen. We just laid down floor tile and installed the washer and dryer. It will be another 6 weeks before the cabinets and countertops are installed. *sigh* It's beautiful though._________________"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" --- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

I love seeing other peoples kitchens. Would rather see the kitchen than any other room in the house I think. _________________If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

I'm almost there, Debbie. I called Home Depot and my cabinets should be delivered in a few days. I look forward to cooking my own food again. Eating out is no longer a treat when done too frequently._________________"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" --- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

also another agreement...photos of THE kitchen please. How very very very exciting it all sounds._________________"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

The kitchen is halfway done. Progress has halted due to some delayed kitchen cabinets. I got so frustrated I finally caved in and started a blog. I guess all this uprooting and first-time home owning has required me to have some sort of release.

Here's my blog where you can find updates on my kitchen (and the rest of the house):

I never ever thought I'd start a blog because I always knew I'd either run out of things to say or just lose interest over time. We'll see what happens. More change! Sheesh!_________________"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" --- Monty Python and the Holy Grail